Saying Goodbye
by Blue Hurricane
Summary: Haibara discovered something to APTX 4869 that she never knew was there. Conan and Haibara have to leave everyone else, probably for good. Where will they go? What will happen to them? Special thanks to roankun and aquagirl520.
1. Chapter 1

**Ha… I'm back… and stuff… with a new story… That people are likely to sue me for… ah-ha-ha-ha… Contrary to popular belief, I have NOT vanished off the surface of the planet, just gone for a long time... Anyway...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan. Gosho Aoyama does.**

"You have just one year left."

"Eh?"

"Don't 'eh' me. You heard what I said, Edogawa-kun."

Conan could not believe his ears. Or rather, he did not want to believe his ears. Haibara had just called him saying that he had something urgent to talk about with him, and never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that it was something like that.

"I…" he stammered. "I only have… one year left to… live…?"

Haibara raised her eyebrow at him, then smirked.

"Oh, yes, Kudo-kun," she replied, turning to her computer screen. "You only have one year left to live. Boohoohoo."

"This isn't funny, Haibara," Conan said, clearly agitated.

"Yes, it's so sad," Haibara said, clearly enjoying herself. "My heart goes out to you. Enjoy your last year on Earth, Kudo-kun."

Conan did not say anything. He just simply stood there, speechless.

"My, my, to think you could be a detective," Haibara said, twirling her hair with one finger, "You are really gullible, you know that, Kudo-kun?"

"What is it with you and making wise-cracks at me?" Conan asked, relieved but still quite annoyed.

"Nothing," Haibara replied. But her tone suddenly became serious. "The truth is, you only have one year left to say goodbye."

"What do you mean?" Conan asked, fearing the worst.

"You did realize that I am in fact one year older than you, right?" Haibara asked, and, without waiting for any reply, continued, "Well, APTX 4869 shrunk me back to the same age as it did you, didn't it? This led me to one conclusion: That APTX 4869 does not destroy a fixed amount of cells, it destroys cells until a fixed amount is left."

Conan did not speak.

"That's why we are both seven-year-olds, despite the difference in our actual age," Haibara continued. "And since APTX is clearly still active in us, we-"

"-cannot age," Conan finished for her. She nodded.

"It's already been a year," she said, "And we've not grown a single inch. If we continue like this, people are bound to notice. The Detective Boys have already starting to suspect that I have stunted growth or something." (hahaha… far-fetched, I know)

"So…" Conan said at last, digesting what Haibara had just told him, "One year… you mean…"

"Yes," Haibara cut across him, a grim look on her face, "We're going to have to use this one year to say goodbye to everyone we know. Maybe even sooner than that."

"B-but, isn't it possible for you to-" Conan began desperately, but was stopped by Haibara.

"I know you want me to make an antidote," she said. "But would you take the risk? They may find out that something is fishy before one year is up, even. They may have already noticed that our hair isn't even growing."

At this, Conan thought long and hard. Truthfully, he had never felt his hair growing long enough for a haircut for the entire year. And the same applied to Haibara. (Hey, I never saw them get a haircut in the anime before)

"So what do we do now?" he asked. "We really have to say goodbye?"

"If this keeps up people will notice," Haibara said firmly. "Most likely your girlfriend will bring you to a doctor or something and what will you do then? The fact that a drug is making your body unable to age will be made public in no time. And when that happens…"

"Gin…" Conan muttered. "Vodka…"

"Yes," Haibara said, shuddering a bit as well, "They know about the experiments whereby the lab rats shrunk, and a medicine that makes people 'immortal' will surely catch their attention. Sooner or later, you'll get found out."

Conan was at a loss. As ridiculous as Haibara's hypothesis sounded, there was no denying that it was true. If this continued, it would just be a matter of time before the Black Organization got wind of his shrinking to Conan. There was only one option, but he did not want to choose it.

"Fine," he said at last. "I'll say goodbye to them."

**First chapter, end. Well, this was more like an introduction, though… Starting next chapter things get a little complicated. Conan and Ai will have to say goodbye to everyone, making up their own excuses. Will Conan be able to tell Ran goodbye? Just a hint: Keep in mind Jodie did ask Vermouth why she could not age. That links to this story...**

**Sorry if this chapter sucked. Treat it as an intro. Next chapter will be better. I promise!**


	2. Misunderstanding

**Chapter 2… somehow this feels a lot darker than I thought it'd be…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own detective Conan… **

Conan did not sleep at all that night. He simply stared at the ceiling, as though hoping that it would give him a clue to what he should do. Even though he realized as soon as he began staring that it would not tell him anything about his own predicament, he continued staring blankly anyway.

_I'm going to have to say goodbye to Ran and everyone else, _he thought, _I have to say goodbye to her again… _

_I wonder how Haibara is doing?_

**-Agasa's house**

Haibara was not sleeping either. She typed away furiously on her computer, her eyes fixed on the screen.

_I wonder if Kudo-kun will actually say goodbye to them, _she thought, pausing in her typing. _Knowing him, he'd probably want to propose to that Mouri girl or something…_

Haibara slumped back in her chair, exhausted. She looked at the clock on her table, which read one o'clock in the morning. She sighed, looking back at her computer screen, showing a document that read "APTX 4869 cure".

"I wonder if I will actually be able to finish this before we have to disappear," she muttered to herself before falling asleep.

**-The next day**

Conan and Haibara walked home together after school (the Detective Boys had to do something for the teacher). Neither of them said anything until they were almost there at Agasa's house.

"So when are you going to say goodbye, Kudo-kun?" Haibara asked tonelessly. Conan did not reply. She sighed. "I have already told the teacher that you and I are transferring to a school in Osaka, so you just need to play along and get that Osaka detective to cover up for us."

"Right…" was all Conan could manage.

Haibara looked at him. It was hard to read his expression. They stopped in front of Agasa's house. Conan was still silent.

"I'm sorry," Haibara muttered.

Conan looked up, genuinely shocked. But Haibara did not give him the chance to confirm what she had just said. Before he could even call out her name, she had already vanished into the house.

-Mouri Detective Agency

"Ne, Ran-neechan," Conan said at dinner.

"What is it, Conan-kun?" Ran asked.

"I…" Conan paused. "I… I have to go."

"Go?" Ran asked. "The toilet's just over there…"

"That's not what I meant," Conan replied, not even the least bit amused. "I… I have to go back to my parents. They've migrated to England and um… I have to go too…"

"Isn't that great?" Ran said cheerfully. "You haven't seen them for a year, have you? That's great news, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah," Conan replied half-heartedly. "Yeah, it's great… I-I have to go pack."

Conan went back to his room, and say against the wall, once more staring at the ceiling.

"Haibara…"

**-Agasa's house**

Haibara felt really sick. She had stayed up all night for quite a few days consecutively, and it was really wearing her down.

"What am I going to do…?" she muttered to herself. _At this rate, we will have to disappear in just a few more days. I can't possibly finish the antidote by then… what do I do…?_

But her thoughts were cut short by Agasa who walked in.

"Ai-kun, it's time for dinner," he said.

"Right," Haibara replied weakly. "I'm comin-"

But she just fainted on the spot.

"A-Ai-kun!" Agasa ran over to Haibara's side immediately, feeling her burning forehead. "T-this is some temperature…"

**-Some dark place**

"What do you want, Vermouth?"

Three figures, hidden by the darkness, stood somewhere where no light was visible anywhere.

"I just need you to park your car somewhere," a woman's voice said. "That's all."

_Truth is, _the woman called Vermouth thought to herself, _I overheard Sherry using the bugs I planted in her house talking about how I could not age and leading to her to think that the effects of APTX 4869 could have the same effects… But how would she have known…? I have to find out how she knew about me taking that drug…_

"It's nothing, really," Vermouth said, "I just need you to scare a little kitty out into the open."

**This was a bit too short too. Poor Vermouth misunderstood what Haibara said to Agasa. Haibara just simply thought of the idea that they were not able to age after thinking about how Vermouth didn't age. She knows nothing of whatever Vermouth did. If you don't get it, please message.**

**Next chapter: Haibara gets sick, Conan comes over to help take care of her, and the word gets around that Haibara and Conan are going to transfer schools. How will the Detective Boys convince them to stay? Can those two even be convinced? **


	3. Sick

**Haibara… is… ill…? Hmm… Nothing to say for this one.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan…**

"Eh? Haibara's sick? Ok… yeah, I'll come over now."

Conan put down the receiver.

_She's probably stayed up all night again, the idiot, _he thought, saying a hurried goodbye to Ran and dashing out the door. _Seriously, what do we have to do, put her in a straitjacket and tie her to the bed?_

**-Agasa's house**

"I'll go buy some things to cook dinner," Agasa said, I'll leave Ai-kun to you then, Shinichi."

"Yeah, ok," Conan replied, walking into Haibara's room.

**-Haibara's room**

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the infamous Queen Haibara," Conan joked, seeing Haibara lying on the bed with a Cool Pack over her forehead. She just gave him one of her infamous Haibara glares. "Where's your usual energy now? Come on, throw some sarcasm at me."

"Have you said goodbye?" Haibara asked weakly, ignoring Conan's comments completely. This shut Conan up.

"Yeah," Conan replied. "I told her my parents migrated and I'm going to follow."

"Right…" Haibara replied. "Say, could you get me my laptop? It's in the-"

"No," Conan cut across her firmly. "You need to rest."

"As much as I appreciate your concern," Haibara said with a tinge of her usual sarcasm, "It is unnecessary. I'll just go get it myself, I guess…"

Haibara got up, but before she had even walked a few steps, her head felt giddy and she fell.

And was caught by Conan. He sighed.

"Alright, alright," he said, "I'll get it for you. Just stay still, will you?"

**-In the basement**

"Let's see…" Conan muttered, looking for Haibara's laptop. His eyes strayed to the desktop on a table. It was still switched on, and on the screen was a document labeled "APTX 4869 cure".

_Haibara's still working on the cure after all, _Conan thought to himself. Then he spotted her laptop. _She's probably gonna kill me for this, but I gotta find out what else she's up to…_

Conan switched on the computer. It was a lock screen and a password was required.

"Guessed as much," Conan muttered to himself, clicking the icon that read "Password hint". It showed a message that read "the world's most perverted detective".

_Perverted detective…?_ Conan thought to himself. _Oi… It can't be me, can it? Even though she did call me a pervert quite a few times…_

**Password: Kudo Shinichi**

Conan hesitated for a while, before pressing the "Enter" Key.

**Password Error**

"Hmm…" Conan thought for a while. "If it's not me… Hmm…"

**Password: Mouri Kogoro**

**Password Error**

"There's no way…" Conan muttered. "She won't set his name as a password… He has nothing to do with her… Hey… wait a minute… hey…"

**Password: Edogawa Conan**

**Access granted**

Conan sat there, stunned. Why would Haibara set his name as the password? As he sat there thinking of what possible explanation there could be, a folder on the computer screen attracted his attention.

**Letters to Onee-chan**

Knowing that his body would probably be found floating on a lake or something if he did it and got found out, Conan opened the folder and saw several word documents, each marked with a specific date. He chose the most recent one and opened it.

_**Dear sister,**_

_**I told Kudo-kun about it today. He was shocked, as I expected. I told him he had to say goodbye, but I don't think he can. I can't blame him. It was my fault he was in this state in the first place. **_

_So Haibara does this kind of things… _Conan thought.

_**I want to apologize to him, but for some reason I just can't. I want to tell him how I feel about him, but I can't. **_

_How she feels about me? _Conan stared at the screen in shock.

_**I'm still trying to make the cure for him. But at this rate, I don't think I can finish it at all. I don't know if he will forgive me. I'm scared of what will happen. I keep getting nightmares that Vermouth found me and killed me and everyone. What do I do? **_

_How come she never told me any of this? _Conan thought. _Hakase never told me, so that means he doesn't know either…_

Although Conan did not know it, Haibara was watching him from outside the room.

_What should I do? _She thought desperately. _I want to go confront him, but I'm scared… _

Conan's eyes widened as they traveled to the words at the screen.

_**Should I tell him, Onee-chan? **_

_**That I love him.**_

Thud.

Conan jumped and dashed out of the room, and found Haibara lying unconscious on the floor.

**-Some time later**

Haibara opened her eyes gingerly and looked around, eventually finding Conan at the side of the bed, looking quite annoyed.

"I told you not to get off, didn't I?" he said, flicking her forehead.

"Ow! What the heck was that for?" Haibara asked in an equally annoyed tone, massaging her forehead. She hated to be treated like the little kid she appeared to be.

"For disobeying me and getting off the bed," Conan replied, smirking. He was a good actor, and flicking Haibara seemed to work in his favor – she seemed to be distracted from asking him about looking at her computer.

"You better hope I don't get better, Kudo-kun," Haibara said menacingly. "Because if I do, you're so gonna regret you ever touched my forehead."

"Hey, Haibara…"

Conan's tone suddenly changed, and he refused to look at Haibara in the eye.

_What am I doing? _He thought.

_What if he asks me about what I wrote? _Haibara thought, extremely worried inside. _What should I say?_

"No, it's nothing," Conan finished lamely. "Just… just be good and get some rest, 'kay?"

"I-I don't need you to tell me that, Kudo-kun," she replied.

Both of them could not meet each other's eyes.

"Hey, Kudo-kun…" Haibara said after a short interval.

"W-what?" Conan asked, feeling nervous.

"I'm sorry…"

"Eh?" was all Conan could manage. Haibara still did not look at him.

"I'm sorry, but could you leave me alone?" she asked. "I want to get some sleep."

"Y-yeah, ok," Conan replied, walking away. Haibara looked at him as he left.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

**Next chapter: Conan doesn't come to school, and the Detective Boys are told that he and Haibara are transferring. They go to Ran's place and Agasa's house, but he is not at any of those places, and Haibara, who is still sick, is unable to answer their questions. Where is Conan? And when are they going to disappear from everyone's lives? And what is Vermouth planning?**

**Please review!**


	4. Night

**The move is quicker than expected. Bwahahaha….**

**Disclaimer: No own of Detective Conan by me…**

It was Monday. Both Conan and Haibara did not attend school. Just as the Detective Boys were debating about what happened, Kobayashi-sensei walked in.

"Class, I have something important to tell all of you," she said. "This may come as a bit of a shock."

For once in the entire history of Teitan Elementary School, the class kept quiet and listened to the teacher.

"Edogawa Conan-kun and Haibara Ai-chan have transferred to Osaka Elementary School, so you will not be seeing them anymore," Kobayashi-sensei said sadly. (It's a lousy name, but I couldn't think of a good school name)

"EEEEEEH?"

**-After school, Mouri Detective Agency**

"Ran-san, is Conan-kun in?" Ayumi asked desperately, on the verge of tears.

"No, he isn't," Ran answered, "Come to think of it, he hasn't come home since yesterday… Maybe he's at Agasa-hakase's place!"

"Why didn't he tell us he and Haibara-san were transferring schools?" Mistuhiko asked.

"Eh? Ai-chan is transferring?" Ran asked.

"Yeah! Along with Conan to Osaka!" Genta replied, and unlike the other two who were sad, was angry.

"Osaka?" Ran asked. "But Conan-kun told me he was migrating to England with his family!"

There was a silence following Ran's words.

**-Kudo Shinichi's house**

"So you were here."

Conan, who had been sitting on his bed, turned and saw Haibara at the doorway with a bag.

"You're already able to walk?" Conan asked in a monotone voice.

"No, I crawled here," Haibara replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's time to go, meitantei-san."

"What? Why so soon?" Conan asked agitatedly.

"Because today the detective boys will be told that we're transferring," Haibara replied. "They'll no doubt ask your girlfriend about you, and also come to hakase's house to look for me. You don't want to confront them, do you?"

"But then… why can't we stay here?" Conan asked.

"Baka," Haibara said. "Not even hakase knows we're leaving. If we disappear, won't the first place he comes to look for us be here? And what's more, that man lives here. He'd tell hakase for sure."

"You know a lot about my house," Conan muttered. "And you're still suspecting Okiya Subaru-san..."

"I heard that," Haibara snapped. "I'm always prepared when I want to do something. That means knowing everything I have to. And of course I suspect him! He's-"

"Then where are we going to stay?" Conan asked, cutting across Haibara's infamous Okiya-Subaru-is-part-of-the-Black-Organization hypothesis.

"My sister's place," Haibara said. Conan looked up. "Apparently she had another apartment to herself which she rented behind the Organization's back. (See DC Movie 5) She told me about it and its address, so I know where to go. You just get your butt off that bed and follow me. Oh yes, leave your gadgets and badge at hakase's."

**-Akemi's place**

Haibara put down her bag and Conan followed suit. He had brought some clothes, some books and a few other things from his home. He had no idea what Haibara brought, but knew that she would not tell him anyway.

"Oh, there's only one bed here," Haibara pointed out. "I'll be taking it then, since I'm ill."

Conan did not reply. He sat on the floor, against the wall, thinking.

_I didn't even get to say goodbye, _he thought miserably. _Now what? I'm not going to see her again, am I? I'm not going to see any of them again anymore… I suppose I can only call Ran as Shinichi… Why did I tell her I was going to London? That sort of lie will fail the moment when Genta and the rest go looking for her! What was I thinking?_

Suddenly, Conan's phone rang. It was from Ran. He did not pick it up, and tried to ignore it.

"You're sleeping on the floor, Kudo-kun, by the way," Haibara said, lying down on the bed. Still, Conan did not reply. "If you do anything funny to me while I'm asleep, Kudo, or I'll make sure you wish you were never born."

Haibara turned, so that her back was facing Conan. A tear flowed down her cheek.

_I'm sorry… _she said in her head.

And the phone kept ringing.

**-Later that night**

Conan was wide awake on the floor. He felt cold, but did not say anything. It was nothing compared to the cold he felt inside.

_Now it's just me then, I guess… _he thought miserably.

Suddenly, something fell on top of him. He pushed it off, flustered, before realizing that it was a blanket. Haibara was standing in front of him.

"You're gonna get a cold," she said, "And that means more trouble for me. I don't want to waste my time taking care of you."

Then she went back to bed. Conan looked and saw that she did not have a blanket over herself. Her back was facing him. He smiled to himself, and it was a smile hidden by the darkness of the night.

He climbed onto the bed, pulling the blanket with him. Haibara looked at him, shocked.

"W-what are you doing, pervert?" she hissed.

"You're sick, aren't you?" Conan said with a slight smile. "This will keep you warm."

"Y-you pervert," Haibara muttered, turning the other way again. She was still shivering a little due to her fever.

"Are you warm now?" Conan asked, hugging her. Haibara gasped, but did not push his hands away. Instead, she blushed, and, like his smile before, was not seen.

"It's too hot now, idiot," Haibara said.

"Hai, hai," Conan said. "Go to sleep. It'll feel better then."

"Baka," Haibara said, but when Conan had his eyes closed, she smiled to herself.

_Arigatou, Kudo-kun,_ she thought to herself. _Iie, Edogawa Conan…_

**Phew! Another chapter! Next chapter: Hakase and the rest are trying their best to find Conan and Haibara, who are nowhere to be seen? What will happen between Haibara and Conan now that they're alone? Will Haibara be able to create a cure of APTX 4869 or at least a cure to allow them to grow?**

**Who knows…**


	5. First kiss?

**Another chapter! I'm running a bit behind schedule, but can't help it, Final-year-examinations were keeping me busy…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or any of its characters, so you can sleep soundly tonight.**

Conan sat on the sofa, bored out of his skull. Usually, on a day like this, he would be walking together with the Detective Boys to school. But now he was on the run like some fugitive.

"Hey, Haibara," he said. Haibara, who was typing furiously on her laptop with her back to him, did not turn around. "Don't you think we left a bit too soon? I mean-"

"For the last time, Kudo-kun," Haibara said, turning around to face him, a look of annoyance plastered across her face, "If you have not already forgotten, the Detective Boys belong in the category of 'really really annoying children'. How are you going to go about saying goodbye to them? And with them will come your girlfriend. How will you go about saying goodbye then, hmm? Kudo-kun?"

"Do you fear confrontation that much?" Conan asked.

Haibara froze. She did not reply, nor did she show any particular expression on her. She turned back to her laptop and resumed typing.

"I'm just trying to save us all some time," she said. "Nothing more."

Conan was about to say something when he was interrupted by his phone. Kudo Shinichi's phone. He had switched off Conan's phone because it would not stop ringing.

"Dammit," he swore under his breath, "I don't have my bowtie with me…"

But as he saw the Caller ID, he found that there was no need for the bowtie after all: it was from Hattori.

"Moshi mo-" he began.

"OI! KUDO!" Hattori's voice blasted through the other end of the phone. Even though the speaker was not on, even Haibara could hear it. "What do ya think ya doing? Why did ya tell them yer comin' to Osaka?"

"W-wait," Conan said, flustered, "How did you know about all that?"

"Yer girlfriend called me!" Heiji roared back. "She said you and that small little neechan told them you were gonna transfer to some school here! Why didn't ya tell me anything abouting eloping?"

"What did you tell her?" Conan asked hurriedly. "And we're not eloping!"

Haibara stopped typing for a moment. Her eyelid was twitching.

"I wasn't able ta tell her that ya came here," Heiji replied. "I think I managed to convince her that that little neechan was here, but…"

"She knows I'm not there, right?" Conan asked, sighing. "Thanks, Hattori."

"H-hey, Ku-" click.

"I told you to inform him, didn't I?" Haibara asked. "And yet…"

"Well, I didn't think we'd have to leave so soon…" Conan said defensively.

"Oh, so you're trying to say it's my fault?" Haibara asked in a low tone.

"Yes," Conan muttered. But Haibara had heard him.

There was silence for a while, broken only by the sounds of typing on the keyboard from Haibara.

"Hey, did you bring anything to eat?" Conan asked, eyeing the bag that Haibara had brought with her. It was quite big, and capable of holding enough stuff for a one week camp or so. He found it puzzling how she had managed to carry it all the way here by herself. "I'm starving…"

"I'm concerned," Haibara replied, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. But she knew if she deprived of food Conan would probably become as annoying as the Detective Boys, so she sighed and walked over to her bag, reached into it and pulled out a Cup Ramen, which she threw to Conan.

"I'm always prepared when I want to do something, she says…" Conan muttered under his breath. Haibara heard and shot him one of her infamous glares.

"Hey, Haibara," Conan called from the kitchen, "Aren't you gonna eat anything?"

"I'm on a diet," Haibara replied, rolling her eyes.

"Well, suit yourself," Conan said, waiting for the water to boil.

Haibara resumed her typing, hoping that the little detective would at last stop disturbing her. But she was wrong.

"Ouch!"

Haibara shook her head. That trouble-magnet in the kitchen had done it again. Sighing, she got up and walked towards the kitchen.

"You love this, don't you?" Haibara asked, hands on her hips. "Being a nuisance."

"S-shut up," Conan snapped. The kettle of boiling water was on the floor, its contents spewing across the floor. On Conan's left hand was an angry red mark apparently left by the water. He placed his hand under some running water in the sink.

"Why do I have to go through all this trouble…?" Haibara muttered to herself, fetching a mop. "As if running away isn't bad enough, now I have to babysit this annoying little detective…"

She mopped up the water, set the kettle on the shelf (with the help of a chair) and went over to Conan.

"W-what?" Conan asked, clearly worried that she was going to scream in his face or something. Instead, she took his hand and examined it.

"It's not that bad," she said, "You can take care of this without my help, right?"

"Y-yeah," Conan replied. Her face was so close, and she was holding his hand… He felt his cheeks burning. Haibara saw this, and looking at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, did you scald your face too, Kudo-kun?" she asked, leaning in for a closer look.

"W-what? N-no," Conan replied, going even redder.

"Oh, I get it…" Haibara smirked.

"W-w-what do you g-get?" Conan stammered.

"Aww, still denying, Kudo-kun?" Haibara said seductively. "We're alone now, so why don't you just admit that you're in love with me…?"

"That's my line."

Haibara was struck dumb by his response. Conan placed some distance between himself and her. The red was still on his cheeks, but it was a different red than a few moments ago.

"Now we're alone, why don't you just tell me?" he asked. "About-"

But Haibara had her back turned to him. It was hard to read her expression.

"I have nothing to say to you, Kudo-kun," she said tonelessly. "And I would appreciate it if you could keep your trap shut about that."

Conan did not say anything in return. He was feeling dizzy.

"Haibara…" he muttered. Then he fell to his knees. Haibara turned around.

"What is it now?" she asked.

"I'm… not feeling too good," Conan replied. Haibara seemed to have forgotten to be angry and walked over to him, feeling his forehead.

"You've been infected with my fever, it seems," she said, exasperated. "I warned you, but you didn't listen… You never do…"

Haibara helped Conan to his feet and towards the bed.

"I can walk by myself, you know," Conan said.

"I'm sure," Haibara replied. "Since you were so utterly capable of standing just now…"

"I'm-" Conan began, but he tripped. And naturally, Haibara fell with him.

And he fell on top of her.

With his lips on hers.

Haibara's eyes were wide. She stayed there, stunned, for a few moments before pushing him off of her. But she was lucky. He did not see her face, which was a deep shade of crimson. Well, it was natural that he did not see it. He had fainted.

**-Later at night **

Conan woke up to the sound of furious typing. It was dark. He got up and realized that his fever was gone, and that Haibara had her back turned to him (as usual), typing something on her laptop.

"You're awake, I notice," she said, not turning around.

"Y-yeah," Conan replied, not forgetting about their conversation earlier. He was not sure of what else to say.

"Hey, Kudo-kun," Haibara said in that same monotone voice. "I have something to ask you."

"What?" Conan asked, his heart beating fast.

"Do you remember what happened before you fainted?" she asked.

"All I remember is that we were heading for the bed," Conan replied, "That's all… Hey, why do you always move your laptop all over the place?"

Perhaps Haibara could tell that he was trying to change the subject, but she did not reply. She just kept typing.

"So you don't remember tripping or anything?" Haibara asked. Was it sadness in her voice?

"No," Conan replied, raking his brain but not able to recall anything. "Why?"

Silence. Haibara stopped typing and closed her laptop. The room was now only dimly lit by the moonlight. Haibara turned to face Conan, and in the faint light from the moon, he could see half her expressionless face. She just looked at him.

"It's nothing," she replied, "Nothing at all. Go back to sleep."

-**somewhere near Akemi's rented apartment**

Okiya Subaru read off a piece of paper with an address written on it. He looked around, searching for something.

"It should be around here somewhere…" he muttered to himself. "Akemi's rented apartment… She should be there."

**Next chapter: Okiya Subaru finds Haibara and Conan and things get crazy. Seriously. Won't elaborate more at this point. **

**Please review! But don't flame...**


	6. You gotta be kidding me

**Nothing to say… I've made Okiya Subaru a good guy… muahahaha…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan and/or any of its characters. Tch.**

It was a Wednesday morning. The third day of their "fleeing" from the rest. Conan looked at his hand. It was the hand of a seven-year-old, and it was going to stay that way, probably for the rest of his life. He got off the bed and walked over to the table opposite the bed, where Haibara had fallen asleep in front of her laptop, which was in screensaver mode.

"Why must I be stuck with such a workaholic…?" Conan muttered to himself, carrying Haibara to the bed and dumping her there. _Wait a minute, what's she working on anyway?_

He thought of taking a peek, but was then forcefully reminded of that time when he found out what was in it while looking at it at Agasa's basement, and about how they almost had a full confrontation just yesterday. He shuddered.

_Better not, _Conan thought. But he could not help but cast a sideways glance at it and then at Haibara to confirm that she was still sleeping. In the end, he could not hold it back and decided to find out after all. His fingers were just inches away from the keyboard when-

"Curiosity killed the cat, Kudo-kun."

Conan jumped, and then froze. There was no need to ask who the owner of the voice was. He could feel her staring daggers at him from behind.

"What were you about to do?" Haibara asked in a dangerously low tone.

"N-nothing…" Conan replied, not daring to turn around to face her.

"I swear, Kudo-kun," Haibara threatened, "I shall-"

But Haibara did not get to finish her threat. There was suddenly some banging on the door.

Quick as a flash, Conan jumped off the chair, grabbed Haibara, and ducked under the bed. The door was unlocked, and a figure walked in.

It appeared to be a man. All Conan could see were leather shoes and jeans, nothing more.

Haibara was not observing the situation. The same feeling she had with Vermouth, Gin and sometimes Okiya Subaru, that feeling that made her feel like she was about to drown; the pressure that felt like it was going to crush her under its weight, that feeling which could root her to the spot and leave her with a chill she could not shake…

… was not there.

She did not sense anything of that sort. The person did not seem to be that dangerous or scary. Maybe it was not the people from the Black Organization. But who else could it be?

"Darn, they're out," the unmistakable voice of Okiya Subaru made Haibara's eyes widen. If it was him, then it would make sense that she could not sense the same fear – He had hidden it so well on so many accounts. "But this should be the right place… Akemi mentioned it herself…"

At the mention of her sister's name, Haibara's head shot up. Did he know Akemi? Did he have something to do with her death? She tried to get out from under the bed, but Conan held her down.

"Wait, Haibara!" he hissed. "We can't be sure there aren't others coming along! Just stay put!"

Their struggling created some slight noises, and Subaru noticed this. As he turned and walked towards the bed, Haibara stopped struggling. It had returned: that dreaded feeling, so much like Vermouth's and Gin's.

The pair of leather shoes got closer and closer towards the bed, and stopped just before it. Conan, with a sideways glance at Haibara, dashed out from under the bed.

Subaru saw Conan, but with his long arm, managed to grab him before he could run away.

"Well, if it isn't Conan-kun," he said, smiling a little. "What are you doing in a place like this?"

Conan did not reply. He had intended to distract Subaru and have him chase after him, leaving Haibara alone, but it did not work. Now they were both in grave danger.

"Mind telling me… where Shiho is?" Subaru asked pleasantly. "Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know… You know her as Sherry, don't you?"

_Shiho? Is that her real name? _Conan thought. Now that he thought about it, Haibara had never once told him her real name before. But before he could dwell on the matter, he remembered that he was at risk of being killed right then and there, along with Haibara.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," he lied in the best childish tone he could force out. "I just came here to explore the house a bit, that's all…"

"Nice try," Subaru said, smirking. It resembled Haibara's very much, somehow. "Well, if you crawled out from under that bed in such a situation, that must mean that Sherry is there too, right?"

_Oh crap! _Conan thought, trying to think of anything that could save them now. But nothing came to mind. His brain went numb, but not because he could not think of a way to save them from the situation.

Because Haibara had crawled out from under the bed.

"Run!" Conan yelled, and Subaru turned towards Haibara, who did not move.

_The feeling… It's gone again… _Haibara thought. She gulped.

"I'm the one you're looking for, right?" she said in a shaky voice. "T-then let him go."

"What are you saying, Haibara?" Conan roared, struggling madly in vain. "Run! Hurry!"

But just then, Subaru put him down.

"We finally meet face to face, Shiho," he said, in a tone like a father to his child. "This time, there're no meddling kids around."

"W-what do you want from me?" Haibara forced out. Her throat was not working properly.

"I'm not here to abduct or to kill you," Subaru said, "I have something I need to tell you."

-**Agasa residence**

Agasa looked outside the window, deeply worried. Parked not too far from his house was a Porsche 356A. The driver could not be seen, but at that point there was probably no questioning who it was.

"What do I do now…?" he muttered to himself.

**-Akemi's place**

"What is it that you wanted to say?" Haibara asked with obvious dislike, perhaps loathing, maybe even fear, in her voice.

"Well, the thing is…" Subaru allowed a dramatic pause before he continued.

"I'm actually your brother."

**I'm not gonna tell you what's gonna happen in the next chapter. I'm pretty sure you can guess…**

**Please do not swear about me making Okiya Subaru related to Haibara. I just thought of making use of the interesting fact that they share the same hairstyle and hair color (Hairstyle was always the same, Haibara's hair color matched Subaru's as the anime progressed).**

**Please review, but don't flame!**


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